Raku

An exciting day at The Center.  Raku Pottery Firing!  

The pottery that we made weeks before, is loaded into the kiln and firing proceeds at a rapid pace with the pieces reaching glaze melting temperature in 15-20 minutes.  The hot pottery with the molten glaze is then lifted with tongs from the kiln and put into a container with combustible material such as sawdust or leaves and allowed to smoke, which affects the glazes and clay and imparts unique effects such as metallic and crackled glaze surfaces. 

I guess i am talking to my little bird who just came out of the firing.

Here's Heather, who instructed us on making the pottery in the first place.

Our guest Raku instructor, Tim Pfiffner, on the left.

And here are my pieces that I came home with...

I love the colors of the metallic-like glazes.

and whooooo are you?